BMW lends diesel engine to Toyota's 2014 Verso
Last year, Toyota and BMW joined forces to develop a wide range of products - from a fuel cell system to a full-fledged sports car. Now, it seems, the two carmakers have taken the partnership a step further with the upcoming 2014 Toyota Verso set to be the first car from the Japanese manufacturer that will have a BMW-sourced engine under the hood.
The 1.6-litre BMW diesel engine makes 111PS of power and 270Nm of torque. With this new engine, customers in UK now have four options, including a 2.0-litre diesel and two petrol motors.
The 1.6 litre BMW diesel motor with Toyota's badging
Toyota says that its technical centre in Belgium worked closely with BMW engineers to ensure a seamless integration of their transmission and electronics with the latter's engine. Some new components were also included in the process such as a dual-mass flywheel, engine mounts, gearbox mountings and a new gear system. A stop/start system has also been added and this is expected to help reduce emissions and also improve the fuel economy.
Production of the 1.6-litre engine will start at Toyota's Turkey plant from January 2014. Didier Leroy, senior managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation and president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe (TME), said: "At Toyota, we believe that tackling environmental challenges facing our industry will require more than one approach. Hybrid is at the core of our strategy towards sustainable mobility, but we also see a role for clean diesel in Europe. Working together with an industry leader like the BMW Group allows us to benefit from economies of scale to reduce development costs as well as improve our time-to-market."
